Pakistan counts down towards crucial election

An election seen as crucial for the Pakistan's future as a viable democracy has seen the country troubled by terror and threats.

Transcript

LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: It's been a bloody few months for Pakistan as it heads towards an election that's crucial for the country's future as a viable democracy. The Taliban is waging a campaign of terror against any party or candidate it deems unIslamic, killing more than 100 people. The ABC's South Asia correspondent Michael Edwards travelled to one of the most dangerous parts of Pakistan, Peshawar, to see if the Taliban's intimidatory tactics are working to derail the election's legitimacy.

MICHAEL EDWARDS, REPORTER: The freeway from Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, to Peshawar, is modern and safe. It almost seems out of place given that it leads into a city that is regarded as one of the most dangerous in the world.

We've just passed into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, or as Pakistanis say, we've gone from the green zone, or the safe area, into the red zone, which is the dangerous part of the country.

The Taliban is deeply entrenched here and during the campaign has killed dozens in this region and more than 110 people in attacks across the country.

As a Western journalist, you need special permission to travel here and our local guide advised us strongly to keep a very low profile. What's a one-off assignment for us is daily life for politicians such as Haroon Bilour and his fellow members of the Awami National Party.

HAROON BILOUR, AWAMI NATIONAL PARTY SENIOR LEADER: It's very hard because everyday we leave house, we have no idea that we'll be coming back home in the evening or not.

MICHAEL EDWARDS: Haroon Bilour has lost many friends and family to the Taliban over the years. His father, Bashir Bilour, an elder statesman of the ANP, was killed in a suicide bomb attack last year. And just a month ago, Haroon had his own narrow escape.

HAROON BILOUR: We have survived one very deadly suicide attack on 16th April in which me and my uncle both were there. We lost 23 precious lives and more than 40 people were injured, so we are basically a bit cautious to avoid this kind of incidents before the elections.

MICHAEL EDWARDS: The Taliban hates the ANP's because it's a secular party with strong support among the country's Pashtun community. It's forced the ANP's campaign underground. Party activities have to be held in secure locations and public rallies are severely restricted.

This really is the frontline of the battle between democracy and extremism here in Pakistan. Because of the threat posed by the Taliban, the ANP can only hold small impromptu rallies under heavy security.

It's made participation in the electoral process difficult.

HAROON BILOUR: Our offices, our candidates have been attacked, our workers have been killed. One of our candidates brothers have been ambushed a few days back in Swabi, he martyred. So, in this electorate situation how will we say this is a fair election? If yes of course it would have been fair if every political party was given a free hand for the rallies, for the processions, for the big public gatherings. Other parties are doing it, but we are not doing it.

MICHAEL EDWARDS: The ANP isn't the only party being attacked. The MQM, the main political organisation in Karachi, is also on the hitlist, as is the Pakistan People's Party. All are secular liberal parties and all have had to curtail their activities this election.

Political violence isn't new to Pakistan, but human rights activists such as Dr Farzana Bari believe the Taliban has added a new dimension to the brutality.

FARZANA BARI, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST: They are going after those political parties who are supposedly more liberal and who have taken a much more clear stance on this terrorism and on how to deal with Taliban as compared to those political parties who either they have not taken a stand as for Taliban and terrorism in Pakistan is concerned.

MICHAEL EDWARDS: Those parties she's referring to are the Pakistan Muslim League, headed by the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Tehreek-e-Insaf, headed by internationally-known former cricket star Imran Khan. They're the only two major parties who've been able to hold large-scale rallies and activities without the threat of Taliban violence.

He's been accused of being soft on the Taliban, earning his less-than-flattering nickname of "Taliban Khan".

Your opponents say that the reason why you can hold these public rallies is that you won't speak out against the Taliban. What do you say about that?

IMRAN KAHN, TEHREEK-E-INSAF LEADER: It's because I was always anti-war, not pro-Taliban and I always condemned every terrorist attack. In fact I've appealed - I've condemned these attacks on politicians and appealed to them to allow us to have free and fair - allow us to campaign in the elections. But to say that I am not - because the Taliban allowing me because I haven't condemned them is lies.

BUSHRA GOHAR, AWAMI NATIONAL PARTY CANDIDATE: This is very dangerous because right now either they're thinking that, you know, if they don't condemn these acts of terror, they will be spared. But this is not something that you expect from those who think that they will be leading this country tomorrow if they're only saving their skins or trying to be able to campaign openly.

MICHAEL EDWARDS: Bushra Gohar is on the Taliban' death list, not only for being an ANP politician, but also because she's a woman.

BUSHRA GOHAR: And let's be clear: certain areas where terrorists have made safe havens and have training camps, unless we clear those areas, every one of us will be on the terrorists' hitlist.

MICHAEL EDWARDS: The big fear is now that in the final days before the election, that the extremists will start attacking polling stations and threatening voters to keep the turnout low.